The swamp keeps getting swampier

As I sit here on this Thanksgiving weekend and ponder the state of the republic and the direction in which our nation is headed, I feel kafkaesque about the future. We, at this point in our history, have become completely rudderless in very troubled waters.

As someone who has traveled a bit and seen other countries, I'm thankful to be an American. But as the results of this most recent election show, too many of us apparently are not. When people like Ocasio Cortez from NY and Xochiti Torres Small here in NM are elected, we are in real trouble.

There is an old propaganda newsreel from Germany which shows a young woman with a big, bug-eyed crazed look on her face, totally disconnected from reality gazing at Hitler as he drives by; this Cortez woman has that same look. The trouble with the swamp is it keeps getting swampier; the more you drain it new creatures simply replace old ones, and as long as people want freebies it will continue.

We are now nearing $22 trillion in debt with no end in sight, and our newly elected Congress wants more free stuff. What we are about to get is sky-high tax increases, reduced defense spending, open borders along with massive increases in social spending to take care of the millions that will arrive. Back when I was in school and they still taught history, we studied ancient Greece and Rome; and the question always asked was how and why these great nations failed? No longer must I wonder, I'm watching before my eyes as the country is being destroyed by those that could not have built it.

During the last two years we have seen our country turn around. But now apparently people have decided it's time for something else.

Dennis Stone

Las Cruces

Must live by words of Matthew 25:35

I'd to comment on both the letter from David Merry and the column by Madeline Sanchez. First, to Mr. Merry, I have a few suggestions: Take a deep breath: switch to decaf: watch TV news other than Fox:buy and actually read a couple of books on logic: and, finally, edit twice and submit once.

Second, the assertion by Ms. Sanchez that a wall would keep out the members of the “caravan” seems to defy logic. Where are the members of the “caravan” now? Behind existing border walls, not swarming into the country at unwalled locations. Some additional border safeguards are probably a good idea, but not a “99 percent impenetrable wall” as she advocates.

Finally, Ms Sanchez criticizes those who use Christian principles to support immigrants. She does make some good points. However, ultimately, those who would call themselves Christian, including, I suspect Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Merry, must live by the words of Matthew 25:35:

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.I was a stranger, and you invited me in.” I hope they both will consider this.